how to treat meal moth larvae on carpet

We’ve just discovered a meal moth larvae infestation, we don’t know how long it’s been there, as it’s in a rarely accessed part of a large room. The infestation seems fairly large, and there seems to be larvae right in the carpet, are these merely the shells, or hibernating cocoons of the larvae. Will we have to replace the carpet? We presume the infestation is in the Chinchilla (rodent) food very near to where we located the larvae. This is really distressing, and we’re not entirely sure of what to do, the larvae seem to keep appearing. We’ve only noticed this within the last hour, some advice would be invaluable. Currently, we’re trying to steam them out of the carpet with an iron, will this have any effect?

Steaming them won’t help. In fact, it will probably make the problem worse. The one thing this stage (larvae) needs beyond food is moisture. So once you start using this in the home and in particular, close to where they are no doubt nesting, the better the odds will be in their favor of surviving.

For now I suggest you treat as described in our MEAL MOTH CONTROL ARTICLE. In the article we talk about treating baseboards and other areas with a product called PERMETHRIN. Odorless and fast acting, it’s labeled for use on carpeting and will do the job. Basically one treatment is all you’ll need and it will last 30 days for sure. This way any larvae embedded or any that attempt to traverse over the treated area will die.

I also suggest you get a can of DFORCE or PHANTOM for treating any cracks and crevices where more might be hiding. Though you might be seeing some out and about in the living area, no doubt many more are out of view in tiny, hard to treat voids and cracks. The Dforce is ideal for this kind of treating.

Lastly, set out a couple of MEAL MOTH TRAPS. This way if a problem is developing, you’ll know as soon as it starts so you can take further protective measures.

Give us a call if you need more help. Our toll free is 1-800-877-7290 and we’re open 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Mon-Thur; 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Friday and 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Saturday, Eastern Standard Time.

Jonathan
Customer Care

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